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CATEGORY
Adventure Ambition Art Breakups Career Childhood Coming of Age Confidence Courage Crime Customer Service Determination Drama Emotional Empathy Everyday Life Family Fantasy Fate Fear Feel-Good First Job Food Freedom Friendship Gratitude Grief Healing Hope Horror Identity Independence Inspirational Job Hunting Justice Kindness Life Lessons Loss Love Marriage Mindfulness Miscommunication Mystery Nature New Beginnings Ocean life Parenthood Patience Personal Growth Relationships Responsibility Romance School Secrets Self-Discovery Siblings Social Issues Suspense Technology Tragedy Transformation Travel Wisdom Work comedy horror
LEVEL
A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2
ABOUT
WRITE
Hand-drawn ink sketch of an elderly grandfather talking animatedly to a younger man seated beside him on a train, with both men facing each other on their seats.

The Talking Grandfather

comedy Family Parenthood Feel-Good Everyday Life
B2
250 Words - 2 min 30 sec

Story Audio

Story Reading

Mr and Mrs Carter had raised two daughters and two sons, and once all four had married, the family began to expand rapidly. Before long, a granddaughter arrived, followed shortly afterward by two grandsons — much to the couple's delight.

Then, one of their daughters gave birth to another baby and rang her mother immediately. "Please come and help me with your new granddaughter," she pleaded. Mrs Carter set off without hesitation, though Mr Carter remained behind, since his job kept him tied to the city. Still, he promised, "I'll come up on Friday evening and stay until Monday morning."

That Friday, having finished work, Mr Carter boarded a train, practically glowing with anticipation. "I'm finally going to meet my new granddaughter," he murmured to himself, unable to contain his excitement.

Noticing three vacant seats scattered along the carriage, he approached the first, occupied beside an elderly gentleman. "Excuse me," he said warmly, "are you a grandfather, by any chance?"

"Indeed I am," the man replied. "I have three granddaughters myself."

Undeterred, Mr Carter moved to the second seat, beside a pleasant-looking woman. "And are you a grandmother?"

"I am," she said, smiling. "Two granddaughters and two grandsons."

Finally, he reached the third seat, occupied by a quiet-looking man. "Might you be a grandfather too?" he asked hopefully.

"No," the man admitted, "I'm not."

Mr Carter's face lit up. "Excellent!" he exclaimed, settling into the seat beside him. "In that case," he said cheerfully, "let me tell you all about my granddaughters and grandsons."

Vocabulary Exercises

Match 

Match the Words with Their Meanings

1. rapidly              a. seeing that something might happen in the future
2. hesitation           b. quickly
3. pleaded              c. a feeling of uncertainty before doing something
4. anticipation         d. asked strongly or emotionally
5. vacant               e. empty or not being used
6. undeterred           f. very pleased and happy
7. delighted            g. not stopped or discouraged
1. b | 2. c | 3. d | 4. a | 5. e | 6. g | 7. f

Fill in the blanks 

Fill in the blanks with the words below:

rapidly - vacant - undeterred - delighted - hesitation - pleaded - anticipation

1. The family began to grow ______ after the children married.
2. Mrs Carter left without ______.
3. Her daughter ______ with her mother to come and help.
4. Mr Carter traveled with great ______.
5. He noticed three ______ seats in the train.
6. ______, Mr Carter moved to the next seat.
7. Mr and Mrs Carter were ______ with their growing family.
1. rapidly | 2. hesitation | 3. pleaded | 4. anticipation | 5. vacant | 6. undeterred | 7. delighted

Odd One Out 

Odd One Out

1. rapidly - quickly - swiftly - slowly

2. hesitation - uncertainty - doubt - confidence

3. pleaded - begged - requested - refused

4. anticipation - excitement - expectation - boredom

5. vacant - empty - unused - occupied

6. undeterred - determined - confident - discouraged

7. delighted - happy - pleased - miserable
1. slowly | 2. confidence | 3. refused | 4. boredom | 5. occupied | 6. discouraged | 7. miserable

Comprehension Exercises

True/False 

Answer with True or False

1. Mr and Mrs Carter had four children.
2. The family had several grandchildren.
3. Mrs Carter went to help her daughter with the new baby.
4. Mr Carter stayed in the city because of his job.
5. Mr Carter traveled by train on Friday evening.
6. The third man said that he was a grandfather.
7. Mr Carter was happy to find someone who was not a grandfather.
1. True | 2. True | 3. True | 4. True | 5. True | 6. False | 7. True

Multiple Choice 

1. How many children did Mr and Mrs Carter have?

a. Two
b. Three
c. Four
d. Five

2. Why did Mrs Carter travel to her daughter's home?

a. To visit her husband
b. To help with the new baby
c. To find a new job
d. To meet an old friend

3. Why did Mr Carter stay in the city?

a. He was sick.
b. He had to work.
c. He was afraid of trains.
d. He did not want to travel.

4. How did Mr Carter travel to visit his granddaughter?

a. By car
b. By bus
c. By plane
d. By train

5. How many vacant seats did Mr Carter notice?

a. One
b. Two
c. Three
d. Four

6. Why was Mr Carter happy when the third man said he was not a grandfather?

a. He wanted a quiet seat.
b. He wanted to talk about his grandchildren.
c. He wanted to sleep.
d. He wanted to leave the train.

7. What did Mr Carter decide to do at the end?

a. Tell the man about his grandchildren
b. Leave the train
c. Call his wife
d. Find another seat
1. c | 2. b | 3. b | 4. d | 5. c | 6. b | 7. a

Ordering 

Put the Events in Order

1. ___ Mrs Carter goes to help her daughter.
2. ___ Mr Carter finishes work on Friday.
3. ___ Mr and Mrs Carter have several grandchildren.
4. ___ Mr Carter asks the first man if he is a grandfather.
5. ___ Mr Carter asks the woman if she is a grandmother.
6. ___ The third man says he is not a grandfather.
7. ___ Mr Carter begins talking about his grandchildren.
1. 3 | 2. 4 | 3. 1 | 4. 5 | 5. 6 | 6. 7 | 7. 8

Find the Evidence 

Find a phrase from the story that supports each statement.

1. Mr and Mrs Carter had four children.
2. The family had many grandchildren.
3. Mrs Carter went to help her daughter.
4. Mr Carter planned to visit on Friday.
5. Mr Carter was excited about meeting the baby.
6. The woman had four grandchildren.
7. The third man was not a grandfather.
1. "two daughters and two sons" 2. "a granddaughter arrived, followed shortly afterward by two grandsons" 3. "Please come and help me with your new granddaughter" 4. "I'll come up on Friday evening and stay until Monday morning." 5. "I'm finally going to meet my new granddaughter" 6. "Two granddaughters and two grandsons." 7. "No, the man admitted, I'm not."

Grammar Exercises

Fill in the blanks 

Fill in the Blanks with the Correct Verb

Past Simple

1. Mr and Mrs Carter ______ two daughters and two sons. (raise)
2. Their family ______ rapidly. (expand)
3. Mrs Carter ______ to help her daughter. (travel)
4. Mr Carter ______ behind because of his job. (remain)
5. He ______ a train on Friday evening. (board)
6. He ______ the first man about his family. (ask)
7. The third man ______ that he was not a grandfather. (admit)
1. raised | 2. expanded | 3. traveled | 4. remained | 5. boarded | 6. asked | 7. admitted

Choose one 

Choose the Correct Preposition

1. Mr Carter traveled (by / on / at) train.
2. He stayed (in / at / by) the city because of his job.
3. He arrived (on / in / at) Friday evening.
4. He approached the first seat (beside / under / between) the elderly gentleman.
5. He sat (beside / from / into) the quiet-looking man.
6. He told the man (about / under / between) his grandchildren.
7. Mr Carter was excited (about / at / from) meeting his granddaughter.
1. by | 2. in | 3. on | 4. beside | 5. beside | 6. about | 7. about 
Choose A, AN, or THE

1. Mr Carter had ___ granddaughter.
2. His daughter gave birth to ___ baby.
3. He boarded ___ train on Friday.
4. He noticed ___ elderly gentleman.
5. He approached ___ second seat.
6. He saw ___ quiet-looking man.
7. He wanted to tell him about ___ grandchildren.
1. a | 2. a | 3. a | 4. an | 5. the | 6. a | 7. his

Transformation 

Change to the Past Tense

1. Mr Carter raises four children.
2. The family expands quickly.
3. Mrs Carter travels to help her daughter.
4. Mr Carter remains in the city.
5. He boards a train on Friday.
6. He asks the man about his family.
7. The man admits that he is not a grandfather.
1. Mr Carter raised four children. 2. The family expanded quickly. 3. Mrs Carter traveled to help her daughter. 4. Mr Carter remained in the city. 5. He boarded a train on Friday. 6. He asked the man about his family. 7. The man admitted that he was not a grandfather. 
Make the Sentences Negative

1. Mr Carter stayed at home on Friday.
2. Mrs Carter refused to help her daughter.
3. Mr Carter was unhappy about meeting his granddaughter.
4. The first man had three granddaughters.
5. The woman had four grandchildren.
6. The third man was a grandfather.
7. Mr Carter wanted to sit alone.
1. Mr Carter did not stay at home on Friday. 2. Mrs Carter did not refuse to help her daughter. 3. Mr Carter was not unhappy about meeting his granddaughter. 4. The first man did not have three granddaughters. 5. The woman did not have four grandchildren. 6. The third man was not a grandfather. 7. Mr Carter did not want to sit alone. 
Turn the Sentences into Questions

1. Mr Carter has four children.
2. Mrs Carter helps her daughter.
3. Mr Carter stays in the city.
4. He travels by train.
5. The first man is a grandfather.
6. The woman has four grandchildren.
7. The third man is not a grandfather.
1. Does Mr Carter have four children? 2. Does Mrs Carter help her daughter? 3. Does Mr Carter stay in the city? 4. Does he travel by train? 5. Is the first man a grandfather? 6. Does the woman have four grandchildren? 7. Is the third man not a grandfather?

Find the Adjectives 

Find the adjectives in each phrase.

1. two daughters
2. new granddaughter
3. vacant seats
4. elderly gentleman
5. pleasant-looking woman
6. quiet-looking man
7. special ones
1. two | 2. new | 3. vacant | 4. elderly | 5. pleasant-looking | 6. quiet-looking | 7. special

Find the Adverbs 

Find the adverb in each sentence.

1. The family began to expand rapidly.
2. Mrs Carter left without hesitation.
3. Mr Carter smiled warmly.
4. He traveled eagerly to meet his granddaughter.
5. The woman replied cheerfully.
6. Mr Carter approached the seats hopefully.
7. He settled into the seat happily.
1. rapidly | 2. without hesitation | 3. warmly | 4. eagerly | 5. cheerfully | 6. hopefully | 7. happily

Speaking Activities

Discussion 

Why do you think Mr Carter asked the other passengers if they were grandparents?
He wanted to talk about his grandchildren with those who are not grandparents 
Why did Mr Carter say "That's good" when the third man said he was not a grandfather?
Because Carter will talk to about his grandchildren with him.

What Would You Do? 

1. Would you talk to another passenger on a train?

2. Would you ask a stranger if they were a grandparent?

3. Would you tell a stranger about your family?

4. Would you sit beside someone who wanted to talk?

5. Would you enjoy meeting Mr Carter?

6. Would you tell Mr Carter about your own family?

7. Would you prefer to travel alone or talk to other passengers?
1. Yes, I would talk to another passenger if they seemed friendly. 2. Yes, I might ask if we were already having a friendly conversation. 3. Yes, I would share a little about my family. 4. Yes, I would sit beside them and listen. 5. Yes, I would enjoy meeting Mr Carter. 6. Yes, I would tell him a little about my family. 7. I would prefer to talk to other passengers because it can make a journey more enjoyable.

Rate the Story 

1. How funny is the story?

1 = Not funny
5 = Extremely funny

2. How friendly is Mr Carter?

1 = Not friendly
5 = Extremely friendly

3. How happy is Mr Carter?

1 = Not happy
5 = Extremely happy

4. How interesting is the train conversation?

1 = Not interesting
5 = Extremely interesting

5. How enjoyable is the ending?

1 = Not enjoyable
5 = Extremely enjoyable

Writing Exercise

Change the Ending 

Write a new ending for the story. Keep the story the same until Mr Carter sits beside the third man, but change what happens next.
The third man smiled politely as Mr Carter sat beside him. Mr Carter began telling him about his grandchildren, but after a few minutes, the man laughed. "I have something to tell you," he said. "I am not a grandfather, but I have five grandchildren at home. They are my sister's children, and I love them very much." Mr Carter laughed and continued talking about his own family. Soon, both men were sharing funny stories, and the long train journey passed quickly.

Dialogue 

Write a dialogue between Mr Carter and the third man after Mr Carter sits beside him.
Mr Carter: Are you a grandfather too? Third Man: No, I'm not. Mr Carter: Excellent! Then I can tell you all about my grandchildren. Third Man: How many grandchildren do you have? Mr Carter: We have several now. Our family is growing very quickly. Third Man: You must be very happy about them. Mr Carter: I certainly am. I'm going to meet my new granddaughter this weekend. Third Man: She sounds very lucky to have such an excited grandfather. Mr Carter: Thank you! I have plenty of stories to tell you. Third Man: I'm happy to listen.